This article is the archived version of a report that appeared in June 2009 Consumer Reports magazine.

You wanted to know . . .

Are rustproofing and undercoating for cars worth the money?

Lynne Langton
East Hartford, CT

A salesperson might try to pitch you those services when you're buying a new car, but don't bite. Today's new cars have much better corrosion protection than cars of the past. Serious rust problems have almost vanished in modern vehicles during their first 10 years.

If a check I date the 25th of a month arrives at the bank 15 days earlier, am I assured that the check will not be cashed until at least the 25th?

Tom Sileo
Bergenfield, NJ

There is no rule that prohibits a postdated check from being deposited and cleared right away, according to Dean DeBuck, a spokesman for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the agency that oversees federally chartered banks. Tellers at some banks might hold a postdated check until the indicated date, but if it arrives electronically—as most checks do these days—it will clear immediately.

Your TV Ratings refer to specific model numbers. Can I expect other TVs in the same product line to deliver comparable performance?

Sharon Logue-Higgins
Seacrest, FL

The test results that we show in our Ratings are valid only for each specific television set, but yes, they can give you some guidance as to how different-sized models in that same line will perform. Also note that some brands we've tested over the years have shown fairly consistent performance even across different series, although that isn't always the case.

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